- Thomas Galt
Thomas Galt (September. 12, 1805 - September. 12, 1857) was an American
Presbyterian minister andabolitionist who organized two Presbyterian churches in Sangamon County, Illinois. He was Vice-President of the Illinois Anti-Slavery Society and a conductor of theUnderground Railroad .Biography
Thomas Galt was born in Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania . He graduated from Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and later attended Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania. Although licensed by the Presbytery of Ohio on June 18th, 1834, he was ordained and installed as pastor at Farmington Presbyterian Church in Farmington, Illinois in early 1836. [cite web |title=Farmington Presbyterian Church |url=http://www.farmpreschurch.org/History.dsp |accessdate=2007-10-25 ]In 1837 Galt answered the call by
Elijah Lovejoy (American abolitionist and newspaper publisher) to attend the Anti-Slavery Convention in Upper Alton,Illinois . At the convention, Galt,Edward Beecher (brother ofHarriet Beecher Stowe ) and other attendees countered attempts byIllinois Attorney General Usher Linder to derail the proceedings. [cite book | last=Beecher | first=Edward | authorlink=Edward Beecher | year=1838 | title=Narrative of the Riots at Alton: In Connection with the Death of Rev. Elijah Lovejoy | edition=1st Edition | url=http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/contextualize.pl?p.125.lincoln.43488| accessdate=2007-10-25 ]The Anti-Slavery Convention ended sine die (without further plans) on October 28th, 1837; however, the convention attendees reconvened the same day to form the Illinois Anti-Slavery Society. Galt was elected Vice-President [cite book | title= Proceedings of the Ill. Anti-Slavery Convention: Held at Upper Alton on the Twenty-sixth, Twenty-seventh, and Twenty-eighth October, 1837 | url=http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/navigate.pl?lincoln.128] .
As a "new school" Presbyterian, Galt favored an early end of slavery. Owing to "old school" sentiment in the Farmington church, he moved on in April 1842 to form Center Presbyterian Church in Farmington, Illinois [cite web |title=Farmington Presbyterian Church |url=http://www.farmpreschurch.org/History.dsp |accessdate=2007-10-25 ] . He held meetings of the Sangamon County Anti-Slavery Society at Center Presbyterian Church. [cite web |title=Farmington Presbyterian Church |url=http://www.farmpreschurch.org/History.dsp |accessdate=2007-10-25 ]
On February 7, 1849, Galt organized another “new school” church, the Third Presbyterian Church in
Springfield, Illinois . [cite web |title= The Third Presbyterian Church (Springfield, IL) |url=http://www.third-presbyterian.org/Historical%20Page.htm |accessdate=2007-10-25 ]Galt was reportedly a
Sangamon County “conductor” of the Underground Railroad. [ cite web |title= For the People: A Newsletter of the Abraham Lincoln Association v.8 number 1 Spring 2006, Springfield, Illinois. |url=http://www.abrahamlincolnassociation.org/Newsletters/8-1.pdf |accessdate=2007-10-25 ]Galt died on September, 12th 1857.
References
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